Foreigners Influence Nba Both At Home And Abroad

The Los Angeles Lakers discovered last week what some of the other NBA teams had feared when they passed on the chance to draft Vlade Divac, the 6-foot-11 center from Yugoslavia.

Foreign players have become increasingly attractive, but there still are a myriad of risks involved.

Despite repeated assurances that there would be no problems, and despite signing him to a multiyear contract, the Lakers abruptly discovered his required military service may sidetrack his entry into the NBA. His status today remains clouded.

Divac is just one of six players from Eastern Europe who are expecting to be in the NBA next season, the beginning of a new look in American basketball.

Zarko Paspalj, a 6-9 forward from Yugoslavia, will play for the San Antonio Spurs; Dino Radja, a 6-11 center from Yugoslavia, will be in Boston; Alexander Volkov, a 6-10 forward from the the Soviet Union, will play for the Atlanta Hawks; and Sarunas Marciulionis, also from the Soviet Union, is expected to make an immediate impact with the Golden State Warriors.

Drazen Petrovic, from Yugoslavia, Thursday signed a multiyear contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, but he needed a temporary restraining order because the NBA tried to block the negotiations until his previous contract with Spain had been resolved. Petrovic's case will not be resolved until Aug. 24 when it returns to the courtroom.

''It could be the start of a new era for NBA basketball,'' said Rod Thorn, NBA vice president for operations. ''Basketball has become such an international game, that this was a natural progression.''

The only previous Eastern European in the NBA was Georgi Glouchkov, a 6-8 forward from Bulgaria, who played briefly for Phoenix in the 1985-86 season, failing to make an impact.

The new wave this season was made possible by the International Amateur Basketball Federation, which ruled last year that professional players now would be eligible to play in the Olympic Games, a move that prompted many countries into allowing their best players to join the NBA.

It was a move fully endorsed by the NBA, which has been marketing its product aggressively around the world. Last season, NBA games were shown either live or tape delayed in 70 countries.

The NBA, from its New York office, has an international marketing division which licenses official NBA products in Europe. Some teams, like the Boston Celtics, have a full-time scout in Europe, a major reason why Boston signed Radja, and tried unsuccessfully to sign Stojko Varnkovic, another Yugoslavian who opted instead to play in Spain.

The NBA, for the third consecutive year, will hold an exhibition game in Italy and is planning others in other countries. Various NBA coaches hold basketball clinics each summer in Europe.

''It going international is something the commissioner is looking at very closely,'' Thorn said. ''But we're not rushing into anything.''

Even though the gates to Eastern Europe have opened, no one in the NBA fully expects a flood of players. There still are some questions of how well they can adapt to the NBA style of play and whether they are good enough to play at this level.

''This is an unparalleled time, a fascinating time for the NBA because of what's happening,'' said Pat Williams, general manager of the Orlando Magic. ''But you have to remember, no one has made it yet. We'll have to wait and see.''

Although the Eastern European influence will be a new one, the doors have been open to foreign players for some time. Only a few, though, have made a significant impact.

Houston Rockets center Akeem Olajuwon, from Nigeria, is the only foreigner to become a bona fide NBA star. Rolando Blackman, from Panama, has had some success with the Dallas Mavericks, and Detlef Schrempf, from West Germany, has had mild success with Dallas and the Indiana Pacers. Uwe Blab, from West Germany, was released by Dallas after hardly playing in three seasons.

Manute Bol, the 7-7 tribesman from Sudan, still is more of a curiosity than a force for the Golden State Warriors. Rik Smits, from Holland, is starting his second season with Indiana and has shown signs of developing into a prominent player. Chris Welp, from West Germany, is not expected to last long with the Philadelphia 76ers. Michael Thompson, from the Bahamas, has been valuable for the Lakers, but mostly in a backup role. Tito Horford, from the Dominican Republic, still is a project for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Unlike the Eastern Europeans, though, all of those players came from the American college ranks and were given a chance to adapt to this country before being thrown into the NBA.

The Portland Trail Blazers have been trying for years to land Soviet star Arvydas Sabonis. Once considered the Soviet Union's top player, he was drafted by Portland in 1986 but government officials there, then a serious foot injury prevented him from signing a contract. He will play this season in Spain.